Prezentare Charles Wilson - How to manage Jerk, Prima Donnas, Divas and Hotheads

How to Manage Jerks, Prima Donnas, Divas, and Hotheads

2011
How to Manage Jerks, Prima Donnas,
Divas, and Hotheads Survey

How to Manage Jerks, Prima Donnas, Divas, and Hotheads. Copyright 2011 by Profiles International. All rights reserved. No part of the report
may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without
written permission from the publisher.

Printed and bound in the United States of America.

Publisher
Profiles Research Institute
Dario Priolo, Managing Director
5205 Lake Shore Drive
Waco, Texas 76710-1732

Profiles International
(866) 751-1644
www.profilesinternational.com

Acknowledgements
President, Co-founder, Profiles International: Bud Haney
Editor-in-Chief: Dario Priolo
Managing Editor: Carrie D. Martinez
Assistant Editors: Jeffrey M. Meyers, Jacob Ford
Research Analyst: Christine Gallia
Creative Director: Kelley Taylor
Graphics Assistants: Colton Canava

© 2011 Profiles International How to Manage Jerks, Prima Donnas,
www.profilesresearch.com 2 Divas, and Hotheads Survey

About Us
Profiles International offers assessment solutions that
enable organizations to select the right people and
develop them to their full potential.


How to Manage Jerks, Prima Donnas, Divas and Hotheads

4 Introduction

5 Objectives

6 Research Methodology

7 Quotes from Survey Participants

8 Data Analysis

20 Top 10 Best Practices

21 About Profiles International



Introduction
Recently, Profiles International conducted a survey entitled, “How to
Our goal: to learn how Manage Jerks, Prima Donnas, Divas, and Hotheads.” This survey
companies are rising to the addresses an important issue facing many organizations who manage
challenges of managing difficult high performers.

difficult high performers.
In today’s economy, companies feel the pressure to hire and retain
top-performing employees regardless of their personality. We found in
our study that most of these high performers tend to come with
difficult personalities. While these employees may increase
productivity and efficiency, we sought to find whether the added cost
of managing these difficult employees outweighs their benefits.



Objectives
Given the importance of learning how to work with difficult
employees, our study had three objectives:

“Today's workplaces 1. Identify the prevalence of difficult high performers in the
definitely are overrun with workplace and how they can influence an organization.
prima donnas and divas
and we seem to just live 2. Uncover the sources of challenges companies face when
managing difficult high performers.
with these difficult
personalities.” 3. Understand how an organization copes with high-
performing employees who have difficult personalities.
Survey participant



Research methodology
Participants – Company Size

The “How to Manage Jerks, Prima Donnas, Divas, and Hotheads”
survey was designed to collect data from employees and managers
working with people who have difficult personalities.

The data was gathered between January 1, 2010 with continual
updates throughout 2011 through voluntary online survey
participation.

We had 402 participants from multiple industries.

Total Participants = 402



Quotes from survey participants:



Q1. What percentage of high performers in your organization have "difficult" personalities?

Level of prevalence
More than half of the survey participants claimed at least 25% of high
performers in their organization had difficult personalities.

Implications
The personal qualities that make some employees difficult also makes
them successful at their jobs. For example, a high-performing sales rep
might be focused on achieving her individual goals yet have little
regard for others. Or, a financial analyst might be so detail-oriented
that he has a difficult time adjusting to any departmental or
organizational change.

It is important to understand why individuals respond in a particular
manner, and if that behavior is conducive to success within the
organization’s accepted cultural boundaries.

*Figures above are in percentages


Q2. What roles do your "difficult" high performers play in your organization?

Roles
Respondents identified sales and operations departments as common
locations for difficult high performers.

Implications
Knowing where to look for difficult high performers is the first step in
addressing any issues with difficult employees in the organization.
Once identified, managers should seek to understand the goals and
objectives of the difficult employees. Understanding the personality
and characteristics of these employees gives managers confidence
when addressing the problem.

It is also important to note that difficult high performers can be found
in almost any department. Although sales and operations departments
have the most difficult high performers, there are difficult employees
represented in almost every different area of the organization.



Q3. It is acceptable for managers to give special treatment to "difficult" high performers.

Special treatment
Nearly three-quarters of respondents found it unacceptable for a manager to
give high-performing employees any type of special treatment when managing
their challenging behavior. It is interesting to note that these data correlate to
Q1 that asked about the percentage of difficult employees in a workplace (25%).

Implications
As a manager, “special treatment” is largely the perception of others toward an
individual. As the data suggest, the last message a manager wants to send to his
employees is that bad behavior is rewarded with personal consideration.

However, “special treatment” could be an acknowledgement of an individual’s
needs or an additional effort to enable their success. With these enablers comes
commitment and accountability on the employee’s part to deliver results
without adversely impacting others on the team.



Q4. Our managers know what makes our high performers successful.

Defining success
Surprisingly, only about half of the managers we surveyed could identify what
makes a high-performing employee successful.

Implications
Managers should make an effort to understand what makes their high
performers successful so that hiring managers can look for these traits in
prospective employees. Conversely, it is important to understand failure points
and why some employees are not successful. Understanding success factors can
also better help leaders focus training and development opportunities.

It is also important to go beyond simple anecdotes and casual encounters to get
consistent, objective, and comprehensive information on your employees. A
well implemented assessment process will help managers achieve this goal.



Q5. Our managers understand why their "difficult" high performers behave the way they do.

Behavior
Fewer than one-third of survey participants believed managers in their
organization really understood why their difficult high performers behaved the
way they did.

Implications
Managers must seek to understand the unique personality and behavioral traits
of each difficult employee. Managers can establish a baseline for how difficult
employees will interact with other individuals or team members. Knowing the
behavioral tendencies can help managers predict the behavior of difficult
employees and respond appropriately for the sake of the team.

Developing a knowledge of behavioral tendencies also helps managers identify
behavior that deviates from established norms. Sudden behavior change can be
a sign of other issues in their lives that may impact their performance and that
managers or coworkers can address proactively to minimize disruption.



Q6. Our managers manage "difficult" high performers effectively.

Effective management
When managing difficult high performers, over 75% of survey participants do
not believe that managers in their organization are able to effectively manage
such employees.

Implications
Managing difficult high performers is especially challenging for inexperienced
managers. Heavy-handed punishments and reprimands run the risk of de-
motivating the high performer and give them a reason to leave the organization.
Conversely, if managers do not address disruptive behavior, they can de-
motivate other members of the team and potentially trigger devastating
workplace harassment lawsuits.

Each individual has unique challenges and each manager has a unique
management style. Managers should be acutely aware of their natural
management style, and limitations, so that they are able to more effectively
adapt to each situation.



Q7. The cost of managing "difficult" high performers exceeds the benefit.

Cost analysis
Nearly two-thirds of survey participants believe that when it comes to managing
challenging high performers, the costs tend to outweigh the benefits.

Implications
Managers must evaluate and properly weigh the costs of managing a difficult
employee with the benefits of working with the employee. A high performer
may bring in more business for himself, but he may be distracting others from
their full potential.

Everyone is replaceable and it can be tempting to terminate a difficult high-
performer. But this might not be the best decision for the organization. Not only
will you lose a productive employee, but that same employee may go work for a
competitor and that could come back to haunt you.

However, the most costly activity is to do nothing. Managers must make sure
the high performer is aware of his behavior and take action to coach them to
minimize disruption to others. A manager who takes no action risks lawsuits,
attrition, and bad PR.



Q8. We provide our managers which of the following to better manage "difficult" high performers?

Methods of management
According to the survey participants, individual coaching is the most widely used method for managing difficult high performers.

Implications
The impact of coaching is maximized when managers understand the critical aspects of the compatibility between manager and employee.
Managers should seek to understand objectives, motives, and the communication styles of all individuals before coaching begins. Personality
assessments give managers a foundation for coaching. Although individual coaching may appear to take the most time away from the
manager, the benefits of turning a difficult high performer into a high performer is worth the time and energy.



Q9. We provide our "difficult" high performers which of the following to work better with others?

Tools for managing
Over 60% of survey participants stated that difficult high performers receive individual coaching to support them in working better with others.

Implications
“Calling out” a high performer in a group is a recipe for disaster, and high performers can be even more disruptive in group sessions that they have
little interest in attending. These people can also become defensive in coaching sessions without objective information. Personality assessments
can provide this objectivity and enhance coaching. Managers should look to use coaching reports and assessments to provide difficult employees
with objective materials that communicate the need for change.



Q10. Our managers use personality profiles to manage "difficult" high performers.

Personality profiles
Only about one-in-five managers utilize personality profiles to help them coach
and manage their difficult high performers.

Implications
The majority of managers who participated in this survey indicate that they do
not use assessments to work with difficult high performers. There is a
tremendous opportunity to leverage well-established, objective tools to help
with this important task.

Many organizations use assessments during the recruiting and selection
processes; information from those assessments can be very helpful throughout
the employee life cycle.

Organizations that use prehire assessments should investigate whether the
information from the assessment is valid for management and coaching. If so,
then they should train their managers in the proper use of the assessments for
these applications. Organizations that don’t use assessments are missing out on
a powerful tool that helps organizations manage, train, and hire employees.



Q11. Our "difficult" high performers receive personality profiles to work better with others.

Personality profiles
Fewer than one quarter of respondents stated that their difficult high
performers receive personality profiles to assist them in working well with
others.

Implications
The results of this survey indicate that there is a general lack of awareness
among employees. If a manager has the capability to show how the difficult
employee negatively impacts coworkers and the team, they will be more
inclined to change. Self-awareness is an important key to working with others in
a professional setting.

Personality profiles provide consistent, objective information not only on
difficult high performers, but also on their manager and people with whom they
interact. If everyone participates in the assessment, then many scenarios can be
run to assess compatibility with managers, coworkers ,and teams. This
information and heightened level of awareness—combined with coaching—
helps improve relationships and team productivity.



Q12. Our managers are knowledgeable about our policy towards workplace violence and harassment.

Policy
Nearly ninety percent of participants indicated that their managers are very
knowledgeable on the policies towards workplace violence and harassment.

Implications
The results of this question show that almost every organization is in tune with
the importance of communicating valuable information to employees.
Communicate the policies toward violence and harassment regularly and
especially in situations where a difficult employee shows signs of aggression and
disrespect.

The other main implication of the results indicates that managers are well-
informed of the policies that many difficult employees are possibly violating.
Managers have the necessary information concerning policies and procedures,
but there appears to be a disconnect with some of the difficult employees.



Top 10 best practices of managing a difficult
Need help?
employee
Our research clearly shows that 1. Have a discussion about the problem at a meeting with the employees
managers need assistance in involved.
managing their difficult high- 2. Have a one-on-one conversation.
performing employees.
3. Consult with other managers and your boss.
Contact us to learn how we can
4. Write clearer guidelines for the employee.
help you. 5. Make yourself available for additional training with employee.
6. Provide the employee with outside training.
Profiles International 7. Schedule a formal employee review meeting, even if it’s not time for a
(866) 751-1644 scheduled review.
www.profilesinternational.com
8. Ask the employee to submit reports to you about how he or she is seeking to
change.
9. Put the employee on probation for a specified amount of time.
10.For a more serious problem, terminate the employee immediately, explain the
cause and provide pay for any hours already worked.


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Recommended Next Steps

Profiles International offers assessment solutions that enable organizations to select the right people and
develop them to their full potential.

If you would like to learn more about how Profiles can help you manage difficult employees then contact us
for a complimentary, risk-free study .

Companies who work with us gain a competitive advantage by understanding their people at the deepest
levels: how they think, their natural tendencies, behaviors and preferences, and attitudes toward key
workplace issues. We are highly confident that your organization will find this risk-free study to be of great
value.

Profiles can help you ensure that you have the right people in the right jobs to achieve your objectives.

Call us today at 1‐866‐751‐1644.


Prezentare Charles Wilson - How to manage Jerk, Prima Donnas, Divas and Hotheads

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Prezentare Charles Wilson - How to manage Jerk, Prima Donnas, Divas and Hotheads